I, for one, never really cared for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The art aesthetic never really spoke to me, and I suppose I can understand why — it was being marketed to kids after all. To me, trying to sit through an episode is like having to experience Jar Jar, or the Ewoks, for extended period of time. My personal tastes aside, the series certainly has its fair share of fans, both young and old. Given the current climate of social networking and the subsequent move toward casual gaming, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to cash in. Read more…
I love it whenever my favorite toy and figure companies pick up a videogame license, so it’s no surprise that I’m excited about this little venture I’ve stumbled upon. Capcom and Medicom have recently teamed up to create a line of Mega Man inspired Kubricks and Be@rbricks! Each Kubrick, Mega Man and Protoman respectively, come packed with their own 1Up Be@rbrick. Each set will be limited to 500, and are currently available exclusively through the Capcom US online store. Now, they won’t be available until August 12th, but you can pre-order them now for $39.95 each, and if you buy both sets together, you can save $5 off your total. Sure, they might be a little expensive, but they’re limited edition. Besides, if you’re any fan of those classic Nintendo games, you owe it to yourself to pick one up — I know I will.
Lionhead studios, in conjunction with Microsoft Game Studios, have released the opening cinematic for their upcoming installment of Fable. The third title to date, Fable 3 tells the tail of a kingdom on brink of revolution, its subjects the victim of a tyrannical ruler. This opening cinematic tells that tale in an interesting way — through the eyes of a chicken, doomed to be a served at a royal dinner. While it might show little in the way of potential gameplay, the cinematic certainly doesn’t lack the dark humor found through out the series. Instead, it provides us with an explanation of the plot via a rather clever set of metaphors — in addition to painting a clear picture of the setting itself. The game is currently set to ship for Xbox 360 on October 26th. Read more…
While Japanese roleplaying games seem to be declining in popularity, there are a number of series that seem timeless. Chrono Trigger is definitely one such series. With Akira Toriyama’s signature character designs and Masato Kato’s innovative script, the game has remained a fan favorite for over 15 years. With that in mind, Square Enix and Bird Studio have taken it upon themselves to recreate some of the most memorable scenes from the game with their Chrono Trigger Formation Arts, available now at Hobby Search. Each of these six figures are sure to bring about a sense of nostalgia for anyone who loved the original game — now if only Square Enix would make a proper sequel.
Japan has always had a very structured and linear approach to game development, especially in regards to the role playing genre. Stereotypical Japanese roleplaying titles, or JRPGs as they’ve become known, often follow set storylines, limiting replayability and the freedom that’s usually associated with western titles. While I’ve personally found those titles to be enjoyable, it’s easy for some to liken them to reading a book, or watching a movie — a simple interactive, yet aesthetically pleasing script.
What’s great about this Space Invaders couch design by Igor Chak is that not only does it appeal to my inner videogame, but its modernist look makes my inner design geek happy as well: Read more…
I recently read about some new Street Fighter sneakers from Nike, only to be disappointed by how little the shoes seem to resemble the characters they’re supposedly “inspired” by. I can understand Nike’s desire to aim for subtlety rather than an out-and-out declaration of geekdom, since they could sell plenty of these shoes by “accident” and still probably hit a few sales among the Street Fighter fans, but that Chun Li shoe looks like it could have been sold by them for years and just decided to slap Chun Li’s name on the tag. BORING.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 29, 2010 in Videogames
I’ve always been a huge fan of Robotech, so much so that I’ve owned several iterations of the show since it went off the air so many years ago — one of which happened to be Super Dimension Fortress Macross. For those of you who may not know, it was one of the original three series used to create Robotech for syndication here in America. However — unlike Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA —Macross became a hit, spawning numerous movies, OVAs, and sequels. With only a few exceptions, the legal situation surrounding the Macross license has pretty much prevented the series from being licensed for distribution in North America, and as such, any related works have also met a similar fate — such is the case with the upcoming PS3 title Macross Trial Frontier.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 21, 2010 in Videogames
When I first heard that the upcoming Bond film would be delayed indefinitely while MGM executives attempt to sell the studio, I was terribly disappointed. Not only was MGM shelving their upcoming reboot of Robocop, and a remake of the 80’s classic Red Dawn, Eon was forced to halt production to a series of what I’ve considered some of the best Bond films in recent years. Thankfully, not all was lost. Rather than sit around and do nothing, they’ve decided to work with Activision on the next Bond video game — 007: Blood Stone. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 15, 2010 in Videogames
Nimble Strong is a new bar-tending themed game for the iPhone which combines the charm of an old school Nintendo role playing game with an otaku-friendly anime art direction style. However unlike so many Nintendo DS games where you’re challenged with a unrelated quiz at every turn (like Professor Layton) what makes the gameplay here so wonderful is that to advance in the game you have to mix a drink. And you’re not just blindly clicking on a tumbler to score points, but actually learning to bartend as you go along: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 12, 2010 in Videogames
Born twenty four years ago in 1986 the blue Slime is usually the weakest character in each Dragon Quest game — and now he’s being celebrated with his own non-carbonated soft drink! The Dragon Quest Slime Drink comes in two flavors: Hoimi Cider (shown on the left) which is looks like windex and Mera Tropical (shown on the right). Fanboys should be warned that actually drinking the beverage will ruin any future collectibility value. Read more…
Back in the mid-80’s, Hokuto no Ken — or as we’ve come to know it, Fist of the North Star — was a huge hit in Japan. It eventually produced a number of games, a few of which were localized after being heavily modified for US audiences, an OVA and a sequel. It actually blew my mind when I found out that my copy of Black Belt for the Sega Master System was actually a butchered version of the second Hakuto no Ken title. Thankfully, the games have come a long way since then.
You’ll have to forgive me, but with the release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition only a day away, I felt it was probably a good time to show you exactly what to expect. The trailer above is a perfect example of the quality you can expect from LucasArts upcoming remake, in terms of voice acting, as well the visual enhancements. While I talked a little about that last week, I could only really illustrate so much with the screenshots. So, please take some time and check out this fantastic trailer — you won’t regret it.
I know it’s been a few weeks since E3, but if you haven’t seen the latest trailer for the latest installment of Silent Hill, then here’s your chance. Konami seems intent on staying true to the formula we’ve seen in previous entries into the series by focusing on twisted puzzels, and their usual brand of dark, thought-provoking, mystery. While that much sounds promising, this will mark the first entry into the series that lacks series composer Akira Yamaoka, who many fans hold largely responsible for creating the terrifying atmosphere that the series has been known for. Not all hope is lost however, as Dan Litch, composer for television’s Dexter, has stepped in. He has some big shoes to fill, but I have high hopes. Expect to see the game hit shelves sometime in 2011. Read more…
Monkey Island is a series that has always held a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first point-and-click adventure games that I truly fell in love with. Unfortunately, the genre has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Developers have shifted their focus to first-person shooters, mmorpgs and casual gaming. We can’t really blame the developers, though — World of Warcraft and Bejeweled practically print money. Adventure games, on the other hand, don’t come with a monthly fee. As a result many developers lack the incentive to develop the games we all grew to love so many years ago. Thankfully, the guys over at Lucas Arts haven’t forgotten us just yet.
These are screenshots from the upcoming K-ON! videogame Tea Time After School and Live which will be released at the end of September in japan for the PSP by Sega. The game will feature the K-ON! characters as 3D models playing popular songs after school — and there will also be a special bonus sticker book as well. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 24, 2010 in Videogames
Back in 2006, Clover Studios developed one of the most innovative and beautiful titles to have ever graced to the Playstation 2 — Okami. The studio, who had been funded by Capcom Japan, had been riding off the success of their Viewtiful Joe franchise. While their previous games had featured similar cell-shaded graphics, Okami received crtical acclaim for its combination of beautifully rendered visuals and innovative gameplay. Unfortunately the game failed to sell and ended up being a contributing factor in the studio’s subsequent dissolution at the hands of Capcom’s board of directors the following year. As a result many fans who had enjoyed the game were left wondering if a sequel would ever be possible. Read more…
I really can’t get behind massive multiplayer gaming, at least when it requires large portions of my free time and an exorbitant monthly fee. Occasionally, however, a title catches my eye long enough for me reconsider that stance, and it would seem Electronic Arts and BioWare may have accomplished that very feat here. Their upcoming installment of the Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republic saga, Star Wars: The Old Republic, will be the first MMORPG in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first game — I wish I could say the same for Obsidian Entertainment’s second installment of the franchise — and this recently released E3 trailer definitely looks promising, but now I’m left wanting more. Until then, I can only the game ends up being as good as its cinematics might lead us to believe.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 16, 2010 in Videogames
Sonic the Hedgehog is now almost twenty years old! His first appearance was in 1991 and he has gone on to become the real mascot of Sega — which back then also made hardware. Shown above is the Sonic Colors trailer which just came out for E3 this week: The game will be available around Christmas this year.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 15, 2010 in Videogames
This is Space Invaders: Infinity Gene — Square-Enix and Taito’s latest attempt to revive the Space Invaders franchise. In all fairness, I haven’t actually had a chance to play this yet — though I might at this week’s E3 — and my first impressions are based on the video above. Still, I find myself completely confused by everything I saw. Sure it’s neat, and innovative, at least by comparison to the classic Space Invaders I knew and loved, but it’s as if the designers simply refused to draw a line. As a result, we’re left with a mess of lines and shapes which I really had trouble making heads and tails of. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen the formula work — Geometry Wars was a great example — but until I really get a hands on with it, I’m simply not sold on this and I’m left wondering if I’m the only one who feels that way. Read more…
In certain video games, there’s a phenomenon I’m going to call “Boss to Minion Progression” (or you may know it on TVTropes as Degraded Boss) in which an early level’s boss reappears– weaker, and perhaps a different color –as a regular-occurring baddie in a later level. Nearly every Final Fantasy has had this, along with games like Castlevania, beat-’em-ups like Double Dragon and Streets of Rage, a bunch of the Legend of Zelda games…it’s pretty common. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 11, 2010 in Videogames
I’m sure most of you were expecting to see the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth teaser that’s been floating around the internet the past few days. Well, instead we have a trailer for the upcoming Mortal Kombat game that, I could only imagine, would have been announced at E3 next week. This year however, everyone seems to have wanted to let their cats out of their proverbial bags, so we’re getting to see this stuff ahead of time — lucky us.
Here’s the first full trailer for the latest addition to the Resident Evil film franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife. I’m sure some of you might be cringing after reading that headline, after all, Resident Evil: Extinction — the last entry in the series — failed on so many levels. After its predecessor ended with so much promise — at least, as much promise as a Hollywood video game adaption could — Extinction simply delivered more of the same, and as a result, many people, myself included, weren’t exactly looking forward to a fourth. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 25, 2010 in Videogames
This wonderful fan video takes the soundtrack from Secret of Monkey Island and plays it on several PC audio systems that date from 1981 until 1994. It’s amazing to see how in less than 15 years you can see MIDI audio go from a series of beeps to something that sounds like a CD. Read more…
